American Wild Ensemble will help beat the post-holiday blues
The post-holiday blahs have many contemplating an escape from winter by flying to Hawaii or some other far-flung sunny destination. Well, this year, the American Wild Ensemble is bringing Hawaii to you.
This enterprising ensemble, made up of students and alumni of the Eastman School of Music, will perform four newly composed works celebrating Hawaiian wildlife Jan. 4 at Village Presbyterian Church.
The American Wild Ensemble, led by its co-directors Emlyn Johnson and Daniel Ketter, was created to perform music inspired by the majestic beauty of America’s national parks and wild spaces. The septet performs regularly at national parks and is getting ready to embark on a tour of Hawaii in February. The Village Presbyterian concert is a sneak preview of what they’ll be playing on their Hawaiian tour.
The program will feature four new works commissioned this year by the American Wild Ensemble: “E Mālama I Ke Kai” (2019) by Michael-Thomas Foumai; “Life of Birds” (2008) by Mason Bates; “Dance of the Goddess” (Pelehonuamea) (2019) by Byron Yasui; “Covers and Uncovers” (2016) by Tonia Ko and “Adaptation Variations” (2019) by Takuma Itoh.
“American Wild Ensemble is committed to helping composers share uniquely American stories about issues in their own communities,” said Ketter, co-director of American Wild Ensemble and assistant professor of cello at Missouri State University.
“As a Kansas City native, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share this work, commissioning new chamber music to promote environmental awareness, before we present our music in the Hawaiian environment that inspired it.”
American Wild Ensemble’s Hawaiian tour will include Hawaii’s Big Island and Oahu, as well as a residency at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Village Presbyterian will host this ensemble and start off the year with an intriguing, off-the-beaten-path program.
7:30 p.m. Jan. 4. Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas. www.musicintheamericanwild.com.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.